cGAS-STING Signaling Pathway and Liver Disease: From Basic Research to Clinical Practice

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Aug 18:12:719644. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.719644. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The cGAS-STING signaling pathway is an autoimmune inflammatory pathway that can trigger the expression of a series of inflammatory factors represented by type 1 interferon. Recent studies have found that the cGAS-STING signaling pathway played a significant role in liver physiology and was closely related to the progress of liver diseases. For example, activating the cGAS-STING signaling pathway could significantly inhibit hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in vivo. Moreover, the cGAS-STING signaling pathway was also closely associated with tumor immunity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review summarized the role of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in several common liver diseases, especially the current application of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in liver disease treatment, and prospected its future research, which provided a new idea for understanding and treating liver diseases.

Keywords: CGAS; STING; cancer; inflammation; liver.

Publication types

  • Review